


dr. cupid

by hobiscus



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Horizon | Mary Somers Being a Mom, M/M, Mirage | Elliott Witt Has Confidence Issues, Mother-Son Relationship, Pining, Rating May Change, Secret Crush, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27438586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobiscus/pseuds/hobiscus
Summary: Mary supposes it was only natural that she would've taken a shine to Elliott Witt. He was only 7 years her junior and yet, he brought out that maternal instinct in her, the one she had been missing those couple months prior to joining the games. And sure, she's gotten to kind of know some of the other legends and some of them also bring out that warm fuzzy feeling in her chest such as Natalie, Octavio, even Ajay – but with Elliott something just happened straight away, something a little bit stronger.And it happened for Elliott too.
Relationships: Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Mirage | Elliott Witt, Horizon | Mary Somers & Mirage | Elliott Witt
Comments: 14
Kudos: 100





	dr. cupid

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't know what to call this so have the cringey ass title lmao
> 
> i started this fic before horizon came out and i'm so glad the tea and biscuits thing ended up being a canon thing :( so glad i got cuppa tea vibes from her. relationship with elliott might be a little off since they're not that friendly yet in canon also i didn't know her son's name and was too lazy to go back and edit it in.
> 
> btw fair warning, no cryptage happens in this its literally just mirage and horizon talking about crypto but y'know, i plan to make a second part where it happens and the fic is literally about cryptage so i thought i'd tag it.

Mary supposes it was only natural that she would've taken a shine to Elliott Witt. He was only 7 years her junior and yet, he brought out that maternal instinct in her, the one she had been missing those couple months prior to joining the games. And sure, she's gotten to kind of know some of the other legends and some of them also bring out that warm fuzzy feeling in her chest such as Natalie, Octavio, even Ajay – but with Elliott something just happened straight away, something a little bit stronger.

And it happened for Elliott too.

But don't get it wrong, it isn't exactly a mother-son thing. Mary's son is irreplaceable, although she supposes that's irrelevant since Elliott wouldn't take his place anyway. Instead Elliott has his own little spot in not-quite-son territory but not-quite-just-a-friend territory. But perhaps that could all change with time.

It's the same for Elliott too – his mother is still very alive and he loves her very much, but sometimes it's difficult to go to her for advice or guidance in fear of upsetting her or bringing up bad memories. In those moments he's found himself gravitating towards Mary who has always been so kind and accepting, ready with a cup of tea in hand accompanied by a plate of assorted biscuits. She reminds him of his mom when things were better, easier, but she isn't his mom, she's Mary.

So if Elliott had to describe what Mary was to him he would probably uhm and ahh for a while and then tumble over his words as he usually does when he can't quite get a grip on what he wants to say before simply describing her as Mary, because there is no other word to describe what she is. She is like a mother but distinctly not, she is a mentor but also a friend. She is someone he trusts and doesn't have to hold his breath around, someone who he is so afraid to one day possibly lose and yet he is so free to opening up his heart to her. She's just that kind of person, makes him feel so at ease and Elliott admires her in every way.

She is strong and brave, loyal and dedicated, and she will stop at nothing to keep a promise she made 88 years prior to a young boy who meant the whole universe to her. Her undying enthusiasm reminds Elliott of his youth, back when his mother had less wrinkles and his brothers were by his side. His mom always had such a fierce desire to protect her sons and keep them safe from harm. The funny way life has where it ends up biting you in the ass...

Maybe, however, Mary sees a bit of her own son in Elliott; a young lad who idolized the great things his mother did, one day hoping to follow in her footsteps. And Elliott did, although others may not quite appreciate his accomplishments Mary very much did. At such a young age to create holographic figures that not only mimicked him to the smallest detail, but that also had what seemed to be their own free will and thoughts?

Elliott was smart, very smart and a man of science. Mary could appreciate that and she could also appreciate how he ended up that way thanks to the inspiration and encouragement his mother gave him. She seems like an admirable woman who has more than a few lessons to share, Mary would love to meet her someday.

Mary also wonders if her son ended up following her footsteps after all, or if her not returning home was enough for him to shut science out from his life. She doesn't like to dwell on thoughts like that too much, trying her best to look forward to the future instead... or should she say past?

When it comes to the actual games, Mary hasn't played too many yet but enough to finally start getting into the rhythm of how the arena works, as well as the other legends. Crypto for example, who just so happens to be in her squad with Elliott today.

Crypto was quiet and unassuming, deadly in a way that was always unpredictable. Mary had learnt to keep her wits about her when Crypto was her enemy, although it was a futile effort more often than now. Crypto always knew how to keep himself hidden. Always.

A blessing or a curse? Mary doesn't know.

However, the stoic and silent man seemed to always have something to say about Elliott. Mary wasn't really sure what to make of the old man comments shared between the pair or the oftentimes borderline cruel jabs at eachother's personal lives – or should she say lack of on Crypto's part – but they always got the job done and worked together superbly when needed.

Mary felt quite bad that she didn't know Crypto's real name, but neither did Elliott so she supposes she could take some comfort in that. The man was a mystery and although the urge to pry was strong, she decided a while ago that if Crypto wished to share things about himself with her then he simply would. He had an air of sadness about him beneath all the mystery, Mary didn't want to poke too hard and scare him away.

But back to Crypto and Elliott, who were an odd pair to say the least. Their bickering felt substantial to Mary sometimes, like they were just on auto-pilot and saying the first thing that came into their heads. It didn't have the bite it should have. So what was the point behind it?

And Elliott she had noticed, was always watching Crypto in the time he had to spare in the arena. As if he was just watching for... something? An opportunity to tease him perhaps for tripping up or missing out on good loot. Mary didn't know.

Not until today at least.

Right now they're in Bonsai Plaza, a flashy place that's original purpose was to entertain only the richest and swankiest of people in Olympus. After looting up they've all taken temporary refuge atop one of the towers, Mary taking advantage of the short span of peace and quiet to admire the bright blue sky.

There's a flash of green in her vision before it whirrs away, the mechanical droning sound from Hack filling the air before it fades away. Mary thinks it's quite cute that a man as seemingly disinterested in well, everything, had decided to name his drone. It reminds her of her own little pal N.E.W.T. who rests against her back.

She looks away from the bubblegum sky to instead observe the way Crypto was crouched down in the opposite corner. His fingers twist and turn against the fiddly contraption that controls Hack, eyes fixed in concentration on the holographic screen in front of him. Mary hopes that in the future Crypto will grow to trust her more, she'd love to compare notes with him.

Since Crypto was preoccupied with his drone, Mary thinks it might be best to keep watch of the Plaza with Elliott in case any teams decide to enter the area. So she turns to look over the edge of the building and scan the area herself, stopping when she catches a glimpse of Elliott. 

And my, does poor old Elliott give himself away.

He's stood there, bone idle, and staring directly at Crypto down on the floor. It wouldn't have been any different than usual really but now that Mary has the time to observe, no need to run away from gunfire or watch out for falling through holes in the ground, she notices the dreamy little look on his face.

Considering they're participating in a bloodsport, his posture is relatively relaxed as he watches Crypto's fingers twitch and twist across the controller. And his eyes, warm and brown, are enough to make Mary almost chuckle – puppy dog eyes indeed.

All the bickering and empty comments suddenly make sense. Typical behaviour of a lad with a crush, although Mary never quite understood why boys did that. Perhaps a mystery she won't ever figure out.

Elliott's lips are ever so slightly parted as he stares, head in the clouds and in his own world even when Mary approaches him. In fact, he jumps when she nudges him lightly in the side even though she didn't make her presence a secret.

She never got to this stage with her own son, she wishes she had though. To see him grow up and fall in love for the first time, to watch him find his special someone to fawn over. She wishes more than anything she could've seen it all.

"You uh," Mary starts, a fond smile on her face and voice lowered even though Crypto was probably too busy listening out for any audio Hack would pick up, "you like him, eh?"

Elliott startles once again, his eyes now big and wide as he turns to her, face as red as a tomato. He stumbles over his words for a second, clearly surprised from being found out before managing to form some sort of coherent, albeit short, sentence, "I-I d-do-don– no!"

"You don't?" she raises an eyebrow, smile growing even wider. It's quite endearing really, watching a man like Elliott who is usually so cool and collected become disheveled by the mention of a crush.

" _I don't!_ " he splutters, staring at her hard for a couple of seconds as if _that_ was going to convince her any more before turning away, arms crossed and huffing a little bit as though he was a sulky child. As ridiculous as it all was she felt a little bit bad really, the games weren't the best place to bring it up at all and she could have been a little less matter of fact...

Mary hadn't really expected to hear anything else from Elliott, nothing other than game related shot calls anyway and nothing this soon, so when he speaks up in the softest voice she's ever heard him speak, her heart melts just a little bit, "...What if I did?"

She rests back against what she assumes to be a reception desk, legs crossed in front of her. If Elliott would rather take the approach of make believe to save face then Mary would play along for his sake. Why should he be so secretive about it anyway? Because it's _Crypto_ or because he's a fellow legend?

Dating wasn't banned between legends – in fact Mary is willing to bet that the guys in charge are just _waiting_ for a couple to get together in the games. It would bring higher ratings for sure, there's always a surge in views when a dating rumour gets out of control. They won't have to wait long for their star couple anyway if the way Loba and Bangalore have been fluttering around eachother is anything to go by.

Mary hums thoughtfully, looking back up at the clear sky above her as she does so. She's surprised to already have her own little fanbase outside the arena, she read a comment on an online forum earlier that day where her eyes were compared to the beauty of the sky. Rather romantic. "What would you do?" 

Perhaps Mary is thinking too hard, but rather than staring at the sky Elliott takes the approach of looking down at the toes of his shoes. Is it related to confidence? Because Mary is full of confidence, always looking up in all aspects of her life. But Elliott is different, he acts cocky but is far from it. Mary hopes she can somehow help lift him up one day, help him realise that there's a whole world out there if he just looks up from his boots.

Elliott shrugs, kicking an empty box of ammo away from his feet, "Dunno. Probably nothing."

"Oh? Why not?" she cocks her head to the side curiously, eyes fixed on Elliott even though he refuses to look her way. He clearly feels awkward talking about it, but it must be something that bothers him if he's willing to do so. But there's something else there, in the slump of his shoulders and his downcast eyes – defeat.

"What if he says no..."

Bless him. This poor lad has already prepared himself for rejection when he hasn't even told Crypto how he feels.

Maybe Mary is looking through it all with rose coloured glasses, as she usually does. She's the new kid on the block and knows nothing about their relationship prior to her joining the games, but she has a feeling that there might be something there if Crypto's behaviour is anything to go by.

The guy barely pays any mind to anyone else, giving the same old generic replies and small talk regardless of who you are. Regardless, _unless_ you're either Elliott or Natalie.

"And what if he says yes," her voice is gentle, a warm smile on her lips as Elliott finally looks away from his boots to instead look at Mary. He looks sad almost, scared like a lost mouse, and Mary has to wonder what he's so afraid of. A question for another time she supposes, when they're somewhere a lot more private and away from the game's prying eyes.

"You think he would?" Elliott asks, and there's just a small little hint of hope in there. Mary isn't trying to get her hopes up because she doesn't know how Crypto feels, she just feels like there is a possibility he could feel the same and it would be such a waste to not find out. She doesn't want Elliott to regret it.

"You don't know unless you ask," is what she decides to end on. Elliott is quiet for a few moments, lips pressed together as he thinks hard before nodding once, looking a lot more sure of himself. It's almost like watching a cartoon with the way his chest puffs up and he begins to saunter right over to Crypto.

_Over to Crypto._

Mary is quick enough to reach out and hold onto the back of Elliott's shirt before he can make his way out of her reach, "Not now you numpty, later," it comes out in a chuckle, affectionate as the look on her face. She likes his sudden enthusiasm but confessing with the very real fear of being shot any moment on the mind? Not very romantic.

Mentioning being shot any moment, Mary suddenly remembers where they are for real and stands back up straight, counting themselves rather lucky for sneaking the small, unplanned rest they've had without being jumped on.

She takes a quick look from every window, noticing that Elliott is no longer just stood there like a lemon but instead giving stray bits of loot another once over in case they missed anything they needed.

There's the sound of something smooth sliding and then clicking together followed closely by the rustle of a jacket as Crypto stands up, "There are no other squads in the area."

Mary already knew that, if there had been they definitely would've been dead by now for slacking, but Crypto didn't need to know that. "Aye, should we get a move on then, lads? Ring isn't too far and we have a minute left."

**Author's Note:**

> should i make a part 2? should i make em kiss??
> 
> thank you for reading, some of this might be ass bc i wrote most of it at 3 am. i kinda rushed it? mainly bc i have like 4 apex fics in my drafts i never got to finish bc the in-game story would move along and so it wouldn't make sense anymore :(


End file.
